Malaga travel agency scam: families speak out after romance scam victim stole their money
The owner of Florín agency in Alhaurín de la Torre allegedly swindled 55 clients out of €100,000 to fund a fake 'soldier' she met online
The victims of a Malaga travel agency owner - who herself fell prey to an elaborate "romance scam" - have shared the devastating impact of losing their life savings.
National Police have now arrested the agent and 11 members of the criminal network that allegedly manipulated her.
Among the victims are Francis and Carolina, who spent three years saving for a dream trip to Disneyland Paris for their young daughters. The couple had waited until Francis successfully underwent a kidney transplant before booking. In August 2024, they paid €5,340 to the Florín agency - much of it in cash after being told the card reader was broken.
Soon after, the agency stopped answering calls. The owner claimed she had retired and her staff had quit. In reality, she had been sending client funds to a scammer posing as a soldier on a mission in Lebanon.
"To believe that a soldier on the other side of the world would fall in love with a woman in Alhaurín de la Torre is strange," Francis told SUR, "but for her to spend a family's money on him is mind-boggling."
Another victim, Sergio, booked a Mediterranean cruise for his family and was pressured to pay in cash months in advance. When he noticed the agency’s office in the Rosaleda shopping centre had closed, the owner told him "the workers were ill" and not to worry. Sensing foul play, he reported her to the police.
Óscar, a third victim, described receiving a frantic 11.30pm message from the owner claiming flights weren't booked. She blamed her staff and asked for more money as prices had "doubled," later promising a non-existent insurance payout that never arrived.
According to police sources, 55 people have filed complaints against Florín, with the total swindled amounting to €100,000.
The investigation revealed a bizarre chain of victimisation. The agency owner had transferred a staggering €280,000 in less than a year to her "fake lover." Police traced 80% of these funds to a woman in Catalonia who acted as a "money mule," converting the cash into cryptocurrency or laundering it through a computer shop.
In a final twist, the Catalan suspect had also originally been a victim of a romance scam before being recruited by the criminal network to help launder money from new victims like the families in Málaga.
